Ink-fountain.



F. H. QUADE, JR.

INK FOUNTAIN.

APPLICATION msu APR.6,1915.

1,1 92,45 5. Emma July 25, ,1916.

3 SHEETS--SHEET 2.

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F. H. QUADE, JR.

INK FOUNTAIN.

APPLICATION FILED APR.6. i915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented July 25, 1916.

Vic

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE,

FRANK H. QUADE, JR., OF FRESNO, CALIFORNIA.

INK-FOUNTAIN.

Application led April 6, 1915.

T0 alt 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK H. QUADE, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing at Fresno, in the county of Fresno and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ink-Fountains, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ink fountains, and has for its object the provision of simple and eflicient means whereby printing ink may be transferred from a reservoir to an inking table or transfer rollers.

More specifically, the invention has for its object the provision of improved. means whereby the ducto-r roll may be moved between the fountain or ink roll and the inking table or transfer rollers, and also to provide improved means for partly rotating the fountain roll at regular intervals.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means lfor controlling the flow from the fountain, and also to provide simple and efficient means for limiting the movement of the ductor roll.

The invention also seeks to simplify the construction and arrangement of the parts to the end that the cost of production and maintenance maybe reduced and the liabil ity of the apparatus to get out or order will be minimized. i

The several stated objects and other incidental objects, which will appear as the description of the invention proceeds, are attained in mechanism of the character illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and the invention resides in certain novel features which will be particularlypointed out in the claims following the detailed description.

In the drawings :--Figure 1 is an elevation of a printing machine having my improved ink fountain applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the ink fountain; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same, partly broken away and partly in horizontal section; Fig. 4t is a perspective view of the fountain with the parts immediately adjacent the same; Fig. 5 is a detail a perspective view of a portion of the main supportingframe; and Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the bracket which carries the ductor roll.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown the fountain as provided upon a printing machine employing transfer roll,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1916.

Serial No. 19,505.

ers 1 which receive ink from the inking tables carried by the ends of a reciprocating type-bed, a portion of which is shown at 2. The said type-bed with the inking tables reciprocates in suitable ways upon a frame 3, and motion is imparted to the type-bed by a lever l which is actuated through suitable gearing from a driving shaft mounted upon the frame. In the type of printing machine illustrated in Fig. 1, the paper feeding mechanism and the platen are mounted in suitable brackets or supports 5 secured upon the frame of the machine, and the sheets of paper are carried vto and from the said platen through mechanism which it is not necessary to illustrate in the present case.

The use of my improved ink fountain is not restricted to such a machine as is illustrated in Fig. 1, as it may be readily mounted upon any printing machine without involving any radical changes in its construction or mode of operation. The machine illustrated is intended more particularly for printing circular letters in imitation of typewriting with a printed letter head and Va facsimile signature, transfer inking rollers 1 being provided near each end of the frame to apply ink to the letter' head and to the electrotype containing the signature, while the intermediate portion of the letter is printed through an ink ribbon. It will be readily understood, therefore, that it is necessary to provide an ink troughat each end of the frame, and one of said troughs is secured to the brackets 6 which support the jogger board or receptacle into which the printed sheets are delivered, while the ink trough at the other endl of the machine is secured to the arms 7 projecting upwardly from the end of the frame and adapted to support a feed table or other device for holding the sheets to be printed. The ink troughs and the operating parts immediately connected therewith at the two ends of the machine are duplicates, and it is to be understood that the following description applies to both..l

The supportingbracket or frame for the ink y,trough comprises a bar 8 which is rigidly secured at its ends to the brackets 6 or the arms 7 and is provided intermediate its ends with the parallel arms 9 which extend longitudinally of the printing machine. These parallel supporting arms may be arranged at any desired point of the length of the bar but will preferably be disposed near one end thereof so that the ink or fountain roll and the ductor roll coperating therewith will be arranged to engage the inking table between the edge and the center' of the same.

On the upper side of the bar 8, and in the planes of the arms 9, I provide the perforated lugs 1() which receive the pivot pin upon which the trough 11 is hung, while on the lower side of the bar, I provide similar lugs 12 which receive the pivot pin upon which the bracket 13 carrying the ductor roll is hung. A web or liange 14 extends longitudinally of the bar 8 between the lugs 12, and in the said fiange 14 is mounted a set-screw 15 equipped with a lock nut 1G, the purpose of which will presently appear.

The free ends of the arms 9 are provided with openings 17 which receive the shaft 18 carrying the fountain roll 19, and the said fountain roll lits closely between the side walls 2O of the ink trough, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, so that the leakage of ink around the ends of the roll will be prevented. The trough is preferably an integral structure having an open to )and an open front end, the side walls 20 being provided with notches or recesses 21 at their free ends to accommodate the hubs 22 of the fountain roll. The bottom 23 of the `trough extends downwardly from the outer web 11 to the lower ends of the side walls and ispreferably arcuate so that, while the ink may flow readily to the fountain roll, it will not be apt to flood the roll. On the under rsurface of the bottom 23 of the trough is formed a flange 24 which is adapted to impinge against the end of the set-screw 15 whereby to limit the movement of the trough, and on the outer wall of the trough at the sides thereof are the perforated lugs or. ears 25 which receive the pivot rod or pin 26, said rod or pin being inserted through openings in the lugs 10. To facilitate the insertion of this pivot pin or rod, it is provided at one end with a milled head 27 and is preferably .constructed with an annular groove near its opposite end, which groove may be engaged at the end of a spring 28 secured upon the back of the supporting frame and having its end entering a notch or slot 29 in the adjacent lug 10 whereby it may engage the groove in the pivot or rod 26. It will thus be seen that the longitudinal movement of said pivot pin or rod is effectually prevented while, at the same time, the pin may be readilyy removed when it is necessary to detach the trough from the supporting frame for any reason. It will also be readily understood that by adjusting the set-screw 15 so that the free end thereof will project to a greater extent beyond the flange 14, the said screw will act upon the rib or flange 24 and thereby swing the trough upon its pivotal support so that the open end thereof will be raised to the fountain roll 19 and the flow of ink thereby retarded or entirely cut off. It will also be understood that by permitting the trough to swing downwardly upon its pivot, the edge of the trough will be moved away from the fountain roll and the ink may then flow more readily. It is thus possible to accurately adjust the flow of ink according to the needs of any particular machine or any particular work being done.

The fountain roll 19 is preferably made of hard metal and is provided with hubs or reduced extensions 22 at its ends which are adapted to play in the notches or recesses 21 in the ends of the trough. The shaft 18, which carries the fountain roll, is inserted through the openings 17 in the ends of the supporting arms 9k and also through the roller and its hubs, after the said roller with its hubs or extensions has been placed in position between the said `supporting arms. One end of the shaft may have an enlarged head or be otherwise constructed so that its movement in one direction will be limited, and the hubs 22 should preferably lit against the inner faces of the supporting arms 9 so that, after the securing pin or screw 30 has been inserted through one of the said hubs into the shaft, the movement of the shaft and the roller in both directions longitudinally will be positively prevented.

One end of the shaft projects beyond the adjacent support, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, and upon the said end of the shaft I secure a sleeve 31 having a collar or disk 32 at its inner end through which a screw or pin 33 is inserted to secure the said collar and sleeve` to the shaft. A lever or oscillatory plate 34 is loosely mounted upon the sleeve 31, and between the said lever or plate and the disk or collar 32 I loosely mount a friction disk or ring 35 upon said sleeve, a fiber disk 36 being fitted between the opposed faces of thelever 34 and the said friction disk or ring, as clearly shown. Upon the end of the sleeve 31 and against the outer face of the lever or vibratory plate 34, I arrange a ratchet wheel 37 which is splined to the said sleeve by a key 38, ,of any desired orvpreferred form, and to effectually prevent movement of the ratchet wheel longitudinally of the sleeve, I provide a retaining spring 39 which is placed around the end of the sleeve 31 and fits in an annular groove therein and against the outer face of the ratchet wheel. The ratchet wheel will thus be held between the said spring and theilever 34, as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 4.

A set-screw 40 is mounted in the lever or plate 34, and a friction washer or plate 41 is fitted around the said screw and arranged to overlap the edge of the friction ring 35,

as clearly shown in Fig. 3. A spring 42 is coiled around the said set screw between the said washer and the head of the screw so as to hold the washer in frictional engagement with the ring 35, as will be readily understood. The friction ring 35 is formed with an ear 43 and the liber disk 36 may be correspondingly formed with a similar ear, as shown at 44. Through the said ears is inserted a pivot pin or screw 45 by which the upper end of a link 46 is attached to the friction ring, the lower end of said link being pivoted to the free end of one side of the bracket 13 which carries the ductor roll 47. t will be readily seen that the frictional engagement between the lever 34 and the fiber disk and friction ring will cause the said disk and ring to follow the movement of the said lever or plate so that the ductor roll 47 will be moved to or from the fountain roll.

The bracket 13 which supports the ductor roll consists of parallel side arms 48 connected by a web 49 and extended beyond the f said web to provide the perforated lugs 50 which will lit between the perforated lugs 12 to receive the pivot pin or ro-d 51 by which the bracket is secured to the frame. This pin or rod 51 is a duplicate in construction of the pin or rod 26, and the spring 28 has one end extended into a notch or slot 52 in the adjacent lug 12 to engage an annular groove in the said pin or rod 51 and thereby hold thev same against longitudinal. movement. One of the lugs 50 of the bracket 13 is provided with upwardly extending spaced stops 53 which are adapted to impinge against the opposite faces of the web or flange 14 and thereby limit the movement of the bracket 13 in either direction.

That arm 48 to which the link 46 is pivotally attached is somewhat longer than the arm at the opposite side of the bracket so as to accommodate the said link, and near the extremity of said arm I provide a suit able opening 54 which will constitute a bearing for the shaft 55 of the ductor roll 47. The ductor roll is preferably of composition carried by a sleeve 56, the ends of which sleeve project beyond the ends of the roll so as to engage the inner faces of the arms 48 and thereby prevent longitudinal movement of the roll. The shaft may be of the `same construction as the pivot pins or rods 2G and 51 and will be held against longitudinal movement by a spring 57 secured upon the shorter arm 48 and playing through a slot or notch 58 therein to engage an annular groove in the shaft, as will be readily understood. If so desired, a pin 59 may be inserted through the bearing 54 to engage the shaft 55 and prevent rotation of the mally projects forwardly over the ratchet wheel so as to engage the same, as shown in Fig. 4. It is obvious that, when the plate 34 moves in one direction, the pawl will ride over the ratchet wheel without actuating the same and that, when the plate is moved in the opposite direction, the pawl will engage the ratchet wheel so as to rotate the same and through said rotation actuate the shaft 18 and thereby rotate the ink or fountain roll 19. Motion is imparted to the lever or oscillatory plate 34 by a link G1 which depends from the lever and has its lower end pivoted to one arm of an angle lever G2 which is fulcrumed upon the frame 3 of the machine. One of said angle levers is provided at each end of the machine, and a. connecting rod 63 extends between and is pivoted to the upwardly projecting arms of the angle levers, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

It will be noted, upon reference to Fig. 1, that the angle levers are disposed in reverse relation to each other so that, while they will operate simultaneously, the links 61 connected thereto will move in opposite directions. The ductor roll connected with one ink trough will, consequently, be lowered so as to engage the adjacent cooperating ink table, while the ductor roll connected with the other ink trough is raised into engagement with the coperating ink roll. The proper cooperation of the ductor rolls with the ink tables is thus effected, as one of said inking tables will be at the inner limit of its stroke while the other ink table is at the outer limit of its stroke, inasmuch as said ink tables are carried by the reciprocating type-bed, as will be readily understood. Motion is imparted to the angle lever G2 and thence to the movable parts of the ink fountain by means of a pitman G4 which is pivoted at its upper end to o-ne of the said angle levers and has its lower end pivoted to a crank disk G5 carried by a shaft mounted upon the main frame and geared. to the driving shaft in any convenient manner.

It is thought the operation of my improved ink fountain will be readily understood. It will be noted that the levers or oscillatory plates 34 are actuated from the driving shaft of the machine and are, therefore, not dependent for theireflicieney upon the movement of a type-bed or any other working element of the printing mechanism. l/Vhen the link 61 attached to either ink fountain moves upwardly on its first stroke, the lever 34 will be oscillated about the sleeve 31 and the pawl will then ride over the teeth of the ratchet wheel 37. The frictional engagement between the lever 34 and the ring 47 away from the fountain roll and against the ink table. The downward movement of the bracket 4S is limited by the outer lug or stop 53 impinging against the outer surface of the rail 14, as will be 'readily understood upon reference to F ig. 2, and thel continued upward movement of the link 61 will then cause the `lever 34 and the pawl 60 to move about the sleeve 31 without actuating the friction ring. The parts will be so propo-rtioned and timed that at the upper limit of the movement of the link 61, the pawl will not be in working engagement with a tooth of the ratchet wheel, and upon the downward movement of the said link the frictional engagement between the elements 34 and 85 will cause an upward movement of the link4G and the bracket 48 so as to bring the ductor roll into contact with the ink roll. The pawl 60 will also be moved into working engagement with a tooth of the ratchet wheel 37, and the continued downward movement of the link G1 will then cause the lever 34 with the pawl 60 to swing around the sleeve 31 and impart rotary movement to the ratchet wheel, which will be transmitted through the sleeve and the sb aft 18 to the ink roll. The rotation of the ink or fountain roll will feed a film of ink to the ductor roll, as will be readily under` stood. On the next upward movement of the link 61, the ductor roll will be again lowered to the inking plate so that the ink on the ductor roll will be transferred to the said r plate in the well known manner.

The ink table will preferably be rotated in the operation of the machine so that the co-action of the ductor roll and the inking table will serve to distribute the ink evenly over the table. Should it be found that the ink is being fed to the inking table too rapidly or is being unevenly distributed upon the table, the pawl 60 may be released from the ratchet wheel and swung over rearwardly about its pivot 6G so as to rest upon the end of the link 61 or the pivot 67 by which said link is attached to the lever 34, and the ink roll 19 will then remain stationary while the ductor roll will move to and from the inking table and serve to spread or distribute the ink over the same.

The upward movement of the bracket 48 is limited by the inner stop orlug 53 imn pinging against the inner surface of the rail or liange 14, and this arrangement not only insures the proper relative movement of the lever 34 and the elements frictionally engaging the same, but also serves to prevent jamming of the ductor roll against the ink or fountain roll with the consequent Hattening of the ductor roll.

The set-screw may be readily adjusted so as toswing the trough about its pivotal v support to or from the ink or fountain roll and thereby regulate the iow of the ink aecording to the viscidity thereof, and it may also be so adjusted as to establish positive contact between the edge of the trough and the surface of the roll so as to entirely cut off the flow. As it is possible through long continued use the surface of the trough may be worn away, the set-screw can be adjusted so as to compensate for this wear. The notches or recesses in the ends of the side walls of the trough should be so Proportioned that the hubs of the ink or fountain roll will offer no obstruction to the pivotal movement of the trough while, at the same time, the ends of the roll will be in contact with the side walls of the trough through the entire vertical dimension of the said walls 'to thereby prevent leakage of ink around Vthe ends of the roll.

The set-screw 40 may be readily adjusted so as to obtain the desired frictional engagement of the lever 34 and the friction ring 35 with the fiber disk 36 and obtain the desircd movement of the ductor roll positively,

and 'by employing a frictional transmission,

as shown and described, I am enabled to dispense with complicated trains of gearing and simplify the construction and arrangement of the fountain thereby reducing the cost and minimizing the liability of the same to get out of order. The side arms 48 of the ductor roll-carrying bracket will lie in the same vertical plane as the supporting arms 9 which carry the fountain roll, and the said arms 48 are caused to converge near their pivoted ends, as shown at 68, so that the said pivoted ends may bel brought in between the lugs 12.

The many advantages of my improved ink fountain are thought to be evident from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and it is to be understood that, while the construction illustrated is believed to be the best embodiment of the invention, I do not restrict myself to the eXact construction illustrated as many minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as the same is defined in the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:-

1. The combination of a support having a longitudinally extending rail, an ink trough mounted on the support above said rail, a fountain roll carried by the support and fitting in the trough between the sides thereof, a bracket pivoted to the support below the said rail and provided on its upper side with spaced stops disposed at opposite sides of the rail and adapted to impinge against the same, a ductor roll carried by said bracket, and means for moving the said bracket upon its pivot.

2. The combination of a support having spaced lugs upon its upper and lower sides,

,l GO

The combination yof a support` having n, lateral arms and provided on its upper and lower sides lwith perforated lugs, the lugs adjacent one of said arms .having slotted portions, an mktrough having per-Y forated ears fitted between the lugsy on the upper side ofthe' support, a bracket `fitted .between the lugs on the lower side of the support, a pivot yinserted through the upper lugs and the ears on the' trough, a pivot inserted through the lower lugsand through said bracket, a spring secured upon thesupf port and having its ends tted in the slotted portions of the Llugs to engage the said pivots, a ductor roll carried by said bracket, a fountain roll carried by the said lateral arms of the support and fitting in the end of the trough, means for vibrating the said bracket, means for limiting the pivotal movement of the bracket, and means for limiting the pivotal movement of the trough.

t. The combination of a support, `an ink trough mounted thereon, an ink roll carried by the support and tting in the-end of the trough, a ductor roll disposed below the ink roll, a driving member mounted on the support concentric withthe ink roll, means to periodically connect said member with the ink roll to rotate said roll in one direction," a driven member also mounted concentri-V cally with the ink roll and in frictional en gagement with the driving member, and connections between said driven member and the ductor roll whereby the ductor roll will be moved to and from the ink roll.V

5. The combination of a support, an ink trough mounted thereon, an ink "roll fitting in the end of the trough, a ductor roll disposed below the ink roll, a vibratory plate mounted concentric with the ink roll, means actuated by said vibratory plate to periodi-v cally rotate the ink roll in one direction, a

ring frictionally engaging the said vibratory plate, and connections between said ring andv the ductor roll whereby the ductor roll will be moved away from and yto the ink roll during a portion of the movementof-'the said vibratory plate.

6. The combination of a support, an ink trough mounted thereon, an ink roll fitting i within the end of the trough, a ductor roll disposed below the ink roll, a vibratory plate, connections between said plate and the ink roll whereby said roll may be periodically rotated in one direction, a disk fric-r tionally engaging said vibratory plate, connections between said disk and the ductor roll whereby the ductor roll may be moved to and from the ink roll during a portion of the movement of the vibratory plate, and

lmeans for maintaining the frictional engagement between the vibratory platevand the said friction disk.

7. The combination of a support, an ink trough mounted on the support, an ink roll litted in the end of the trough, a ductor roll disposed below the ink roll,a vibratory plate mounted concentrically with the ink roll, a ratchetwheel vdisposed adjacent the Vsaid'sa plate and rigid with the ink roll, a pawl i pivoted upon said plate and adapted to engage said ratchet wheel, a friction disk disposed concentricr with the ink roll and frictionally engaging the vibratory plate, and connections between said friction disk and the ductor roll.

8. The combination of a support, an ink trough mounted thereon, an ink roll fitting in the end of the trough, a shaft mounted in the support and carrying said roll, a sleeve secured on said shaft,a ratchet wheel fixed to said sleeve, a vibratory plate loosely mounted on said sleeve, a pawl carried by said platey and engaging said ratchet wheel, a ductor roll disposed below the ink roll, a disk fitted loosely on the sleeve andffrictionally engaging the vibratory plate, and conlnections between said disk and the ductor i rol c 9; The combination of a support, an ink trough mounted thereon, an ink roll fitting in the end of the trough, a bracket pivoted on the end of the support, ay ductor roll carried by said bracket and disposed below the ink roll, a shaft mounted on thesupport and carrying the inkroll, a vibratory plate loosely fitted about said shaft, means whereby said plate 4will periodically rotate said ink roll, a friction disk fitted loosely about the said shaft and frictionally. engaging the said vibratory plate, and a link connecting said disk with the bracket carrying the ductor roll. f

l0. The combination of a support, an ink trough mounted thereon, an ink roll :fitting inthe endl of the trough, a ductor roll dis-y posed below the ink roll, a vibratory lever, means whereby saidr lever will periodically rotate the ink roll, a friction disk disposed 12o adjacent one side 'of said lever and frictionally engaging the same, connections between said disk and the ductor roll, a Vset-y screw mounted in the lever, a washer carried by said set-screw and fitting over the friction disk, and means carried by the set- Vscrew for yieldably holding said washer in the support and having recesses in its sides the trough about its pivotal connection Vith at its front end, a shaft journaled in fixed the support. I le bearings on the support and passing In testimonyi whereof I afX my signature through the recesses in the sides of the in presence foftwo Witnesses.

5 trough, u fountain roll fixed on said Vshaft FRANK H. QUADE, JR. [Ls] Y and tting between the sides of the trough Vitnesses:` e A and covering the recesses therein, means for WICK WV. PARSONS, rotating said shaft, and means for adjusting K W. G. BUTTER'FILD.

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